Arouca match raises eyebrows at Benfica, Mário Branco steps in | OneFootball

The match in Arouca, between the local team and Benfica, was not only marked by what happened on the pitch. According to reports, after the final whistle, Mário Branco, the general director of football for the Eagles, went to the referees’ locker room to express his dissatisfaction with José Bessa’s performance.

As reported by the newspaper A Bola, Benfica officials believe that the referee from the Porto Football Association, appointed by the FPF’s Refereeing Committee for this match, applied different disciplinary and technical criteria to the two teams, something that did not please the red and white camp.

The issue concerns the yellow card shown to António Silva, which meant the defender completed a series of five and will now have to serve a one-match suspension, which will take place during the home game against Vitória de Guimarães. Benfica’s directors argue that José Bessa did not give the defender, who was the captain, a chance to explain the situation.

On the other hand, in a match where the refereeing team overlooked a clear penalty in favor of the Eagles, Benfica was also displeased with José Bessa’s behavior towards Samuel Dahl. Reportedly, in the 15th minute, the northern referee made a blatant push against the red left-back.

It is worth recalling that Benfica secured three important points, allowing the Eagles to remain in the race for the national title. Thanks to goals from Richard Ríos and Franjo Ivanovic, the Club of Light remains in third place, with 62 points—the same as Sporting (who have a game in hand)—and seven behind Porto (69).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.